Internet Protocol (IP) based video delivery of digital content is becoming increasingly popular. In accordance with such technology, a client may request IP-based video from a streaming server to view video on a client device such as a television, computer, mobile device, or other device suitable for watching or storing IP-based video content. Typically, the streaming server services a request by streaming the requested content to the client through, for example, a cable modem, an Internet connection, etc., in a customer's home network.
Via communication with a service provider, clients can receive digital content or streaming data originating from a number of different local and remote sources. For example, a conventional service provider can receive nationwide available channels of data from a national data center as well as locally available channels of data from a local data center. Typically, through the conventional service provider, the clients can choose amongst the nationally available channels and locally available channels for retrieval.
The formatting of available content for each content channel (whether it is a locally available channel with respect to the conventional service provider or a nationally available channel) can vary. As an example, a national content distribution center can be configured to distribute content X (e.g., content such as that provided by the HBO® channel) according to a number of different streaming formats such as a first format, second format, third format, etc. The first version of formatted content X can be available from a first address of the national content distribution center, the second version of formatted content X can be available from a second address of the national content distribution center, a third version of formatted content X can be available from a third address of the national content distribution center, and so on.
In order to stream content from the national content distribution center to a respective client, the service provider typically must keep track of these different access addresses and the different format types for the available content. Upon receiving a request for content from a subscriber, the conventional service provider selects an appropriate address that is configured to distribute the requested content. The service provider then utilizes the selected address to retrieve and forward the requested content to the respective client who made the request.